Specialty Chemicals LANXESS is expanding its new polyamide 6 (PA 6) Dulington P product line with two new highly reinforced materials that can be used as an economical alternative to polyamide 66 (PA 66) materials. . Du Litton BKV50PH2.0 and Du Litton BKV60PH2.0EF have glass fiber content of 50% and 60% by weight, respectively. The "P" in the product name stands for "Performance", indicating that these materials have high fatigue resistance to pulsating loads. This means that these grades are several times more resistant to cyclic mechanical loads than standard products with the same glass fiber content. Potential applications include support structures for electrical and electronic modules in electric vehicle batteries, engine oil sump, oil filter modules and end caps, engine and chassis mounts, shock absorber pistons, and seat shells for passenger cars. . In mechanical engineering, new materials are suitable for dynamic high-stress components such as gears.

Replaces PA66 without adding part weight

These two high modulus thermoplastics have higher mechanical properties and are similar to PA 66 materials. “Because of the recent limited supply of PA 66 engineering plastics, the price has risen significantly. Therefore, we also regard these two innovative products as a cost-effective alternative to PA 66 engineering plastics,” said Dr. Thomas Linder, Dr. Durington research and development expert. Tests conducted by LANXESS show that variant products with the same glass fiber content can be used, so the material density is the same as the alternative. In this way, the weight of the part will not increase.

At Fakuma, the international trade fair for plastics processing held in October 2018, LANXESS presented the first representative products of its new product line, Du Litton BKV30PH2.0, BKV35PH2.0, BKV40PH2.0 and Du Litton BKV130P. Their glass fiber content ranges from 30% to 40%. Possible applications include automotive air intake and oil filter modules and load-bearing housings for power tools. The modified elastomer Düren BKV130P is particularly resistant to impact and is suitable for use in furniture locking system components. The above four engineering plastics are also suitable replacements for PA 66.

Higher tensile strength at high temperatures

Like its range of products, these two new highly reinforced engineering plastics feature better mechanical and structural properties. “For example, they have higher tensile strength at elevated temperatures than standard PA 6 variants of the same glass fiber content,” says Linder. To evaluate this performance under pulsating loads, LANXESS developed a HiAnt fatigue screening test based on traditional Wöhler testing. Tests have shown that Durex BKV50PH2.0 has a life expectancy of approximately eight times the life of standard PA 6 with the same glass fiber content at a lateral load of 65 MPa. In the corresponding comparison, the fatigue resistance of Du Litton BKV60PH2.0EF is about 10 times.

In the HiAnt fatigue screening test, DuPont BKV60PH2.0EF is several times more resistant to cyclic mechanical loads than standard products with the same glass fiber content.

At the same time, Durethan BKV60PH2.0EF has good fluidity (easy flow, EF). Therefore, this thermoplastic, although having a high degree of glass fiber reinforcement, is still easy to process. Its fluidity is similar to that of polyamide 6, which has a glass fiber content of 30% to 35%.